The Night
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Futuristic AU. When Callista sneaks out of the house and goes into one of Lazulis' nightclubs, she wasn't expecting to run into Zesha Stryker, one of the most dangerous men in the city. As she explores the depths of Lazulis City, she soon realizes that not everything is perfect.
1. Sweets & Bitters

**Author note: I do not own 'The Last Story' nor do I own the song 'The Night' by Blake Mcgrath which inspired this fic into being. This is also inspired a little bit by the novel 'Coda' by Emma Trevayne, which I also don't own. **

**...I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm starting ANOTHER fic. (insert head-desk here) Again, like every other fic in existence, PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT FREQUENT UPDATES...**

**Also, some chapters may be inspired by songs, and I will title the chapters as such. A certain part of this chapter was inspired by the song 'Sweets & Bitters' by Yuuto, sung by the Vocaloids Luka Megurine and Gakupo Kamui. I don't own the song obviously, but try to guess which part of the chapter was inspired by the song! Leave the guesses in the reviews! XD**

**Warning: Futuristic AU, mentions of drug abuse and drug dealing, actual violence, use of alcohol, possible pairings**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks! XD**

* * *

**_The Night_**

* * *

**_1. Sweets & Bitters_**

* * *

_One, pull the feet to the left. Two, arms in the air. Three, back it up for me. Four, move to the right, we'll see..._

Zesha let the music guide his movements-though sometimes he found himself fighting against it. He wouldn't call himself graceful like a ballerina, but when it came to popping, locking, or even a moonwalk...well, he called himself an expert at that. He almost forgot _why _he was in this club, dancing the night away.

He just needed time to think. And thinking usually ended up in him dancing, or at least wanting to dance.

That was why he was here at Ariela's club, right? The DJ, Zoran, always had some of the best music playing in Lazulis City after all.

Of course, he didn't come by himself. That was _stupid_- after all, Jirall Rambaldt could always send some of his goons anywhere Zesha went to try to beat the crap out of him. And of course, that wasn't going to fly. So, he brought some of his own buddies along, too, just in case a fight broke out. A fight was very likely-always likely to happen whenever he went out, but he knew that too well. It had been going on for the past few years, after all, and fights like this were completely common. Even if it wasn't between gangs, they would break out between the bouncers and the jerks, the jerks and other people...in short, it wasn't really that rare, really. Violence was a common thing in Lazulis City, even if Mayor Arganan wouldn't admit it to the rest of the world.

"Oy! Zesha!" The Gurak turned to see Zoran saunter over to him, pulling him off the dance floor and towards a table. The dark-haired DJ was currently off-duty for the moment. "You want a drink? It's on me!"

Zesha merely gave a wry grin, a slight tilt of his head. "Go ahead and get me a screwdriver, Zoran, thanks."

The DJ merely nodded, before leaving him alone at the table. It didn't take long, though, for company to arrive in the form of Lowell, Dagran, Yurick and Zael. All four of them looked dressed to party-with Lowell wearing a neon blue tank top with the word '_swag' _written across it in bold, black, capital letters. Yurick wore a neon red tank top with the same word on it-probably a dare by Lowell to wear what Yurick would have probably considered a 'weird' article of clothing. Dagran and Zael were both wearing tank tops like the other two, except they didn't have those words and that they were wearing black and dark green tops respectively.

"Saw you up there," Dagran started, gesturing to the dance floor. "You looked like you were really enjoying yourself this time."

Zesha nodded a bit in agreement, letting out a breath. "Yeah, I was." He responded quietly. "But I'm getting bored, and-" He stopped mid-sentence, looking off into the distance.

"Hm?" Lowell turned to glance in the direction where Zesha was staring. "Hey, isn't that Mayor Arganan's niece?"

Zael nodded in agreement, also looking. "Yeah...that's her..." He trailed off quietly. "What is she doing here of all places...?"

Yurick shrugged a bit. "Who knows why she's here? How do we even know for sure if it's her and not some wannabe that's trying to look like her to try to look more attractive?"

The dancer smirked, grabbing the screwdriver from Zoran before turning to the others. "I'm going to find out for myself." He declared, before heading towards the table...

* * *

Callista let out a sigh as she drank a glass of water. It was loud in this place-very loud-but that didn't scare her from wandering into this nightclub. She'd never been to one before, really, but she needed to get out of the house. She couldn't _stand _being there-especially that she knew that Jirall might have been hanging around there, trying to find her so he could try to woo her for the umpteenth time. That wasn't going to fly with her-that was why she snuck out and came here by herself, after all.

She wanted to see the world-not be cooped up in the house with nothing to do but go through online courses and homeschooling tutors to have her prepared to take over the role of Lazulis' next mayor. That wasn't fun at all.

_"Good little girls,"_ A voice addressed out of the blue, shattering her train of thought, "do_ not_ spend their time in sketchy clubs like this place in Lazulis."

Callista raised an eyebrow in suspicion as a man, definitely older than her, took a seat across from her, a lovely smirk plastered on his face. He wore a black, leather coat with several flaming red buckles and straps on it that made Callista think that they were mostly for decorative purposes. The wide collar of the jacket was flared up, as if in some attempt to look cool. A thin, white t-shirt was underneath the coat, effectively giving her a peek at his abdominal muscles and chest underneath. He wore black pants, loose enough for him to be comfortable, but fitted enough so that they were not hanging low like the other men at the club and held up with a belt.

He took a sip of the alcoholic drink he held in one hand, before he propped his chin onto the other hand, leaning a bit against the table to gaze closer at her as he spoke.

"What is a good little girl like you doing here in Hypnotica, notorious for its late night clubbing and alcoholic drinks? Hmm?" He analyzed her carefully, as if a lion was stalking its prey. "Don't you have a reason?"

She thought he would ignore her if she answered.

"I just needed to get out of the house. That's all."

She expected him to find it a boring answer and leave her alone. She was wrong to assume such a thing.

He took another sip of his drink before responding, putting the drink aside. "So the good little girl wishes to have an experience of the world around her. _Finally,"_ He murmured quietly, _"Someone_ is actually willing to see for themselves of the whole big situation of the fights in Lazulis-why they've been going on for the past few years. Am I correct to assume this?"

Callista was taken aback for a moment-how had he been able to read her? But she merely nodded in response, not saying a word.

The other smiled. "Good." He spoke after a moment. "It's about time I got my own story on everything."

Callista took a good look at him again, before speaking. "Who are you...?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he stood, putting the half-empty glass of his alcohol on the table before extending a hand towards her.

"Want to dance?"

She was surprised by this. "Why?"

He chuckled a bit. "Don't tell me you have absolutely no idea how to dance. That's pathetic."

She glared at him. "I _do_ know how to dance!"

This was_ technically_ a lie. Callista had the bad feeling that he saw through it, as she saw him smirk.

"I'll acknowledge such dancing skills if you can catch up with me." He challenged, crossing his arms.

"Fine." She responded, still glaring at him as the two went to the dance floor. It was then that the music changed, and...

He started to dance.

The movements were absolutely _nothing _like one would do during a Viennese Waltz or a tango. No, no, these movements were something foreign to her, but yet so innovative, creative...

And she was completely struggling to catch up with him during the first half of it all. As soon as she completed one move, he would have already done three more, and she would then fumble on those moves. The older one let out a laugh at her terrible attempts to keep up.

"I knew it, little girl." He spoke up half-heartedly halfway through the song. "Thought that you couldn't dance all that well."

She still glared at him. "You're going too fast, you jerk."

She_ knew_ she sounded like a little kid complaining, but it was damn true.

"Well..." His expression softened for a moment, before he smiled at her. "How about I help you along, then?"

Before she could respond, he had already taken her hand and pulled her into his act. Callista found the both of them dancing in sync, with her actually being able to catch up with him (or did he slow down so that his speed matched hers...?) for once. Whatever he did, she found herself able to imitate perfectly, the movements in absolute harmony over the music blasting from above.

Callista started to enjoy herself with the dancing. She was getting used to it-although different from what sort of dancing she had done at the formal parties, this was far more creative, more...fun, even.

Before she could continue, she noticed a person out of the corner out her eyes-white hair tied back into a long braid, emerald eyes wandering about and desperately trying to find her...

"Oh no." She muttered quietly, stopping. The other stopped as well, looking down at her.

"What?" He asked, looking around.

Callista glanced behind her again. "I can't get caught here. I need to go-"

It was then that the other realized what she had noticed.

"Dammit, not _him _of all people..." He muttered, grabbing Callista's hand and pulling her away from the dance floor, deeper into the crowd of chattering people. "We better get out of here, now. Unless you want to get caught clubbing by your half-brother, of course. I'm not sure how he would take the news that his little sister is dancing with strangers at sketchy clubs..."

Callista froze slightly. How did he know about the fact that Therius was her _half-brother _and not an actual _brother _like everyone else assumed? The other tugged at her hand. "Come on! Unless you want to get caught-"

"Who are you?" She asked again, looking up at him. "How do you know about me and my brother?"

The other let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I'll explain later. Do you want to get grounded or worse by your mayor-uncle or not?"

Callista let out a breath, before letting herself get dragged away by her mysterious companion. The two ended up going out of the building through a back door, and her companion looked around quietly, before rushing over to a nearby motorcycle and seating himself on it.

"Get on," He hissed quietly. "Unless you want to get caught by your uncle, associating yourself with one of the most dangerous men in Lazulis City."

Callista wasn't sure what to do. Should she trust him? She didn't want to get caught, but she didn't want to be put in danger, either.

"Who are you?" She asked again, trying to sound as brave as she could be at the moment.

The other let out a groan. "Have you ever heard of Zesha Stryker? Accused of public disturbance and illegal drug sales?"

She hesitated, before nodding. "Yes...and why are you telling me this?"

He smirked a little bit. "Well, little girl, I'm Zesha Stryker. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Callista Arganan."

Her eyes widened at this. _Zesha? _The _Zesha _that led _that_ gang? What was that gang even called again...?

"Wha-"

_FLASH!_

She had to close her eyes as a bright flash of light appeared in front of her for a moment, before fading. Zesha let out a low breath, pressing a few buttons onto what looked like a phone or a remote control, before he put a pair of headphones on with a small microphone attached.

"Everyone, get out of the bar! _Now!_ The police are probably coming already-either that, or Jirall's goonies are going to strike. We must take our leave now. Oh, and by the way, I've got the mayor's_ niece_ with me so I sent you a picture. Put up a hologram of her on whatever bike you're riding-I need you to cover for me while I get her back to the base with us, just in case the police are trailing us or something like that." He turned towards Callista, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Well, little girl? Are you coming?"

Callista hesitated, unsure of whether she wished to be riding on the motorbike of one of the most dangerous men in Lazulis City, but Zesha let out a scowl and pulled her onto the bike, yelling at her to wrap her arms around his waist and hold on tight. The Gurak gang leader smirked as the motorbike roared to life, before Zesha stepped on the pedal.

Wind whipped past Callista's face as the motorbike sped away from the bar, into the streets. She couldn't believe was doing this-being on a motorbike _and _being in the company of none other than Zesha. It wasn't something she was expecting when she was at the bar-oh, no, it wasn't at all.

Of course, technically being kidnapped by Zesha wasn't in the plan.

"Let me off this motorcycle!"

"No. You'll get run over by other cars or motorcycles if I let you." The other responded, looking in front and behind him. "...Huh. Looks like we've already lost them. Good." He grinned at Callista. "Guess that means you can crash at my place safely, then."

Her eyes widened. "No, I'm not sleeping-"

"Where else are you going to go?" The other asked quietly, paying attention to the alley that he was approaching. "I mean, if I brought you home, Mayor Arganan would have me arrested. If I dropped you off in the middle of nowhere, a bunch of perverts will probably be out to get you, if not serial killers or drug dealers that you stumble upon by accident in the act. Therefore, my place is the safest place to go to in this situation. Right?"

"Um..."

"Never mind." He smiled a bit, before continuing. "I think you might like some of my other friends-they're not _all _boys, so no need to be uncomfortable around them. I'd like to think we're more friendly than Jirall's goons, anyway. I'm sure you'll like them..."

* * *

"Oy, lookie here. Zesha's finally brought a girl home!" A blond man with a face full of stubble teased as the two entered the room. "Good for you-it's about time you thought about the romance section of your life!"

A red-haired woman baring more skin on her upper half let out a giggle as she drank from a bottle of beer. "What took you so long, both of you? Did you get a...minor setback in your little journey?"

Callista found this hideout of Zesha's to be less roomy than back at the manor she lived at, but still more spacious than expected. There was a living area, a kitchenette area, and then other rooms which Callista guessed were bathrooms and bedrooms, perhaps a storage room if they had extra stuff to put away. But still, it was a lot smaller than where she lived. This was going to get some getting used to.

Especially with the fact that it was a higher density of people in a such a small space-besides her and Zesha, there was at least six other people. Two of the males were on a couch in the living room section watching television until Callista arrived, and now were watching with interest.

Zesha half-glared at him. "Lowell, Syrenne, please. She's a guest-a highly revered one being-"

"The_ niece_ of Mayor Arganan, we know." Syrenne cut in, taking a swig of beer from the bottle in her hand before speaking. "How long is she crashing with us?"

"Well..." Zesha glanced at Callista. "We could take you back home tomorrow, early in the morning. If you'd like, that is. But then again I heard that you were sick of being in the house. The decision's up to you, little girl."

Callista didn't like Zesha-and she _wasn't_ a_ 'little girl'_ as he called her, she was a young lady. But she'd been stuck in that house too long, and she wanted out of there for a good while. So...

"I'll stay with you. Until I_ want_ to go home."

The others exchanged surprised glances.

"So, she's sticking with us for a while then." Zesha glanced towards a young woman, with short raven hair and a lily poking out of it. "Mirania, you'll share a room with Callista. Get the air mattress ready-we don't have any extra luxurious beds, sadly."

Mirania nodded, closing the book she had been reading. "Got it, Zesha."

Lowell sniggered a bit at that comment as he lay on the couch. "Yeah-get used to it, princess."

Zesha smacked Lowell at the back of his head. "More respect to her, please. She's not a bartender you can flirt with on an everday basis."

"Fine, fine, sorry..."

Callista nodded, looking around a bit more to try to get used to her surroundings. "I'll be fine with that, thank you. I'm just glad that I'm allowed to be around here for a while..."

Was she really glad? She didn't know. All she knew was that this was _really _going to take a lot to get used to...


	2. Strut

**_2. Strut_**

Zepha Stryker's eyes blinked open, his head pounding in rage. Cursing, he slowly sat up in bed, putting a hand to his forehead. He wasn't sick. He wasn't sick-unless a hangover counted as being sick. A hangover and...hunger. Not for food, but for the drugs in the cabinet beside his bed. Pausing, he slowly opened the drawer, before taking out a box and putting it on the top of the cabinet. He glanced at the door across from him, before quickly opening the box and taking out a small plastic vial. Solace came not just in liquid form, but in pill form, but Zepha preferred the liquid form of it. It was easier for him to get a fix, and could help him out before suffering a craving in public.

And he_ hated_ using it.

He'd tried to quit so many times, but the withdrawal was too much to handle. He nearly suffered a seizure the last time he tried to, and gave up after moments of struggling. He knew it wasn't good but it was so hard to just stop. He couldn't let anyone know, though-he'd lose his job, the reputation he'd built up, and perhaps end up being disowned by his adoptive father Zangurak because of such dangerous behaviour. Life just hated him at the moment, and he hated it back.

Getting up fully after downing the contents of the vial and hiding the rest back in the cabinet, he glanced at himself in the mirror as he dressed himself. His thick, whitish-blond hair was disheveled, his eyes had dark shadows underneath them, and he looked...pale, in general. Probably from the drug. And from drinking too much last night, too. As if _alcohol _could steady his nerves of trying to find his twin brother...

He thought about Zesha for a moment. Where could Zesha Stryker be, now? He was convinced himself, that Zesha was not the one behind illegal drug sales-causing a row in a bar was one thing, but illegal drug sales was something he was sure his younger twin brother wouldn't do. No. That just didn't seem like him...

Before he could think any further, there was a quick knock at the door.

"Zepha?"

It was none other than Therius Asthar, adopted son of William Asthar, at the door.

"Are you awake?"

Zepha quickly went over to the door, opening it to see Therius. One thing that was different about the white-haired human in front of him was that his eye colour was different. Zepha blinked, several times, before speaking.

"Therius, what did you do with your eyes?"

"Erm...they're just eye contacts..." The other paused, before speaking. "My adoptive father wanted me to go undercover and try to get some information from Zesha and his troupe. I'm trying to figure out a different sort of identity, something that wouldn't give me away to Zesha or the others..."

Of course, leave it up to William Asthar to think up such an ingenious plan. But still, this was dangerous business involving his younger twin brother in the matter, and Zepha feared for what could happen if things didn't go so well between him and Therius. "I see..." He paused, glancing at the eye colour of Therius' contacts-they were a dark obsidian. "That could help...but you'll have to change some other things in your appearance, too. Perhaps dyeing your hair would help...maybe cutting it, too."

Therius nodded, before glancing at Zepha carefully. "Are you alright? You look a bit...shaken. Did you have nightmares?"

The nightmares Therius was referring to were the nightmares Zepha had often-abstract things that kept attacking him in his sleep, in his dreams...too many times Zepha had woken up nearly screaming, with Therius trying to restrain him from writhing so much in his sleep.

Zepha shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts. "No, not that. It's just that...well...I kind of got carried away last night with trying to blend in with the crowd that I drank too much..."

Therius frowned a bit. "Is that so? I could get you some hangover medicine, if you'd like..."

Zepha shook his head again. "It's minor. I'll be fine in about an hour, after I eat something for breakfast. When do you need this disguise ready, exactly?"

Therius paused, before speaking, his voice wavering a bit. "Tonight. Any idea of a fake name for me?"

Zepha let out a breath. "Calm down, Therius...I'm sure we can figure out something by then. Maybe you should change the way you walk and stand, too...my brother can recognize people by how they walk, even right before they speak. You might want to be careful of that."

Therius nodded, trying to lean on one leg a bit more than the other as he stood. "Better?" He nearly tripped, but Zepha thankfully was getting more clear-headed by now and grabbed the other by the arm, preventing him from hitting the floor. "I guess I should work on this..."

Zepha managed a weak chuckle, before speaking again. "Yes, you should. I could help you with other stuff...once I get something to eat, of course."

Therius smiled faintly at him. "Of course. I'll go prepare some toast or something quick."

"Sounds good. Thanks." Zepha closed the door, and he heaved a sigh as he heard Therius' footsteps disappear.

That was too close. What if Therius found out that he was taking drugs? What would happen...?

Zepha shook his head. He didn't want to think of it. Right now, he had to go eat breakfast and then help Therius prepare for tonight...

* * *

Callista woke up to hear someone banging on the door.

"Oy! Get up!" Syrenne shouted from outside the room. "Breakfast is ready!"

Callista sat up slowly, pushing the covers off herself as Mirania stood before getting onto both knees and smiling at her.

"Good morning, Callista."

Callista smiled a little bit back at her. "Morning, Mirania." Callista had learned that at least _someone _seemed to be nice around here. Unlike Zesha, who was either trying to flirt with her or taunt her constantly, Mirania seemed to be the one with the most composure-something that reminded her of the atmosphere back at home, which was slightly comforting.

Mirania's stomach then growled, and the raven-haired companion blushed slightly of embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm hungry..."

Callista smiled a bit at this. "It's alright, I'm hungry too. Let's get some breakfast..."

The other nodded, before the two got changed quickly (Mirania had let Callista borrow a set of her pajamas for the previous night) and they walked out of their room, into the kitchenette section. Syrenne was already at the table, chomping away at breakfast sausage as Zesha took a sip of water. Lowell was trying his best to cook some pancakes, but they kept looking like blotches instead of perfect circles...

And the others, Callista guessed, were probably getting dressed. Mirania quickly seated herself at the table, getting some pancakes onto her plate. Callista quickly joined her, getting a few breakfast sausages on her plate.

"Morning," Zesha greeted quietly, taking another sip of water as he leaned against the wall opposite Callista. "Did you get a good night's sleep, little girl?"

"I have a name, and it's Callista Arganan."

"Nope, you don't. You're no longer Callista Arganan, little girl."

_"What!?"_

Zesha put the glass of water down, before speaking. "Look, if you're going to stick with us, you're going to have to make sure you don't get recognized by _anyone. _You're going to have to change your name, your behaviour, your looks...everything. Otherwise you'll be whisked back home and things _won't_ be very pretty. Got it?"

Callista let out a sigh. "I guess you have a point."

"Good. Now stand and walk for me."

"...What?"

He gave her a look. "Do I need to repeat it? Walk around the room."

She paused, before getting from her seat and walking around the table. Zesha observed her quietly, before speaking. "I see. You've got the posture of a proper young lady. You need to turn it into something like a superstar model. Think up a name for yourself while you're at it. Syrenne, Mirania, give her a makeover and make her look as un-Callista as possible, and help her get into a different sort of behaviour than the one she already has."

Callista glanced at Syrenne, who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, before glancing at Lowell, who was chuckling a bit. Mirania just awkwardly stared back at Calista, before Callista glanced at Zesha.

"...How long do I have to get this all covered?"

Zesha paused, before speaking. "Preferably in one hour from now. I want to go out again today..."

Callista bit her lower lip. Well, that wasn't going to be easy.

"And considering that you have tons of practice to do, I suggest you try to strut now, like those models you see on television. Come on. Strut it for yourself if not for us."

Callista closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to remember all the runway shows she'd seen on television from when she was little, wishing that she could be as cool and elegant as those pretty women. Then, without another word, she started to strut just like them. Zesha grinned quietly at the sight of this.

"Excellent..."

_This is going to get interesting..._

* * *

**Author note: This chapter was inspired by the song 'Strut' by Adam Lambert. Try to guess which part of this chapter was associated with the song! XD As for the previous chapter, the part where Zesha and Callista meet for the first time was the part that was inspired by the song 'Sweets & Bitters' by Yuuto. XD **

**Also, is it okay if I give General Asthar the first name William? Because it was the first thing that came to mind when I first thought of him in the modern AU. He will appear in later chapters. XD **

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing so far-it's all appreciated! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. XD **


	3. Get to It

**_3. Get to It_ **

Therius was a good actor.

Screw that-Therius was a _great _actor.

He'd been in school plays before, because his godfather William Asthar had pushed him to do it, to socialize more and participate in school activities more. He wasn't a jock like the other boys-the only reason he was so athletic was from doing dance lessons for a while, and after he quit dance (because being a professional dancer wasn't really in his blood-at least, he thought so at the time) he made sure to work out at the gym. Why? Because he didn't want to get jumped in the streets late at night and be unable to defend himself.

But enough about being fit to defend himself. About the acting...

Experience from school plays, drama classes (he initially took the course just to fill the amount of courses needed, but...), as well as plays from outside of school gave him more and more experience.

Of course, watching countless movie marathons with Zesha and Zepha helped.

That was three years ago. They haven't watched a movie together since three years ago.

Therius had acted a lot. Surely he could act out a party-loving homosexual who had a love for dancing and lots of mascara. Right?

...Of course, acting out the homosexual part would be easy. Therius came out of the closet years ago. And the dancing wouldn't be too bad-he could remember a couple hip-hop moves, which was okay. He was sure Zesha wouldn't mind that.

It was just the partying that he would have to get used to. And that wasn't going to be easy. But he couldn't hold back-he had to get to it, or fail in the process of getting close to Zesha.

* * *

"Lisa, dear Lisa..." Zesha smirked as he saw 'Lisa' step out of the door. "Your very footsteps are those of a supermodel."

"The _best_ supermodel there is...?" Callista questioned, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the gang leader through dark purple eye contacts.

Zesha still had that smirk on his face. "Yes, Lisa. The absolutely best supermodel there is-and that's _you."_

'Lisa' giggled a bit at this, slowly walking towards Zesha. "I like the sound of that now..."

_"You can act as my girlfriend. Don't you think that's very un-Callista?"_

That had been what Zesha had told Callista earlier while in the process of her transformation. Callista had to grudgingly agree to it-being Zesha's _girlfriend_ of all things would be very un-Callista indeed.

No longer being Callista Arganan and becoming Lisa Black meant that she had her hair cut so that it only reached halfway towards her shoulders and also dyed black with red highlights (eyebrows were dyed black as well), eye contacts that were the darkest shade of purple that she had ever seen in her life, a neon crimson crop top with a black hooded coat overtop, black skinny jeans and black, high-heeled, studded boots that finished off the look. She was even wearing studded earrings as well.

Overall...the look was very un-Callista-like.

And Zesha liked that very much.

Callista on the other hand was a bit unsure about it.

Could she really pull this off? Could she pull off pretending to be Zesha's spunky girlfriend with a love for studded accessories? Could she be a girl that was seemingly carefree and had a taste for anything wild?

She hoped so.

Zesha frowned a bit, bending his knees and squatting slightly so he could make eye contact with Callista.

"Lisa? Your mind is wandering again..."

That was her reminder to stay in character. She blinked, before speaking with a bit of a small scowl.

"I'm fine."

That was a way to tell him that she was back in-character.

Zesha grinned a bit, wrapping an arm about her waist and pulling her close. "That's more like it..." He purred silkily, giving her a kiss at the top of her head. 'Lisa' giggled a bit, snuggling up against his side as she tried to get more in-character.

Her acting skills were a bit rusty. Hopefully she could get to it quickly and stay in-character for when she needed to be...

"Hey, Zesha!" The two turned to see Dagran walk into the room, dragging someone by the arm. "This guy tried to follow me. I couldn't lose him, so I beat him up as best as I could until he surrendered." He pushed the person to the floor, looking down at him. "Any advice of what to do with him? We could always clean the slate or something..."

Zesha glanced at the stranger, before giving a lazy wave of his hand as he held Callista closely. "Guys, search him. Strip him naked if you have to. If he's one of Jirall's goons, clean the slate. If not...let him have his say. Ladies, turn around and don't look."

Lisa looked away. Looking up at Zesha she noticed that there was a wry grin on his face, as if he was about to laugh. However, he didn't utter one sound, instead keeping his eyes trained on the intruder.

"What's this?" Callista overheard Yurick speak. "Communicator?"

"It's a hearing aid-" Callista heard the intruder protest, nervousness strung deeply into his voice. "I-I need that...I nearly lost my hearing a few years ago due to those street bombings that were caused by Jirall's gang, and-"

"Look, we'll hand it back to you after we look at it. Just sit tight and don't move." Dagran muttered in response.

"A-alright..." The stranger sounded hesitant, but accepting of this as Callista heard Dagran walk away and into another room.

"Any other things you've got on hand?" Lowell asked.

"I already deposited my cell phone, my wallet, the dog tag I was wearing, the portable music player, headphones and my mascara on the table and you just took my hearing aid. I'm carrying nothing else, I swear it."

There was a moment of silence aside from the shuffling of clothes and objects being moved about, before Yurick spoke up.

"He's clean. Just a random stranger..."

Dagran walked back into the room, before speaking.

"It's just a normal hearing aid, Zesha..."

"So just a 'random stranger' then." Zesha spoke, eyeing the stranger carefully. "Mind telling me who you are and why you bothered to follow one of my members?"

Callista found herself allowed to turn and see the (thankfully fully-dressed) stranger, examining him carefully. A pair of thick, neon blue and black headphones hung about his neck, connected by white wires to a small, white portable music player that was sticking out of his navy jean pocket. He wore a denim jacket overtop a dark green tank top. Red sneakers adorned his feet, a dog tag hung about his neck, and his hair was tied back into a thick black and purple-streaked ponytail, some loose strands of hair framing his obviously masculine face which had a lot of mascara on the eyelashes.

To top it all off, he looked like he was going to a party. And he_ did_ look a tad eccentric, but then again a lot of partygoers looked pretty eccentrically-dressed whenever they went to the clubs in Lazulis. He adjusted the hearing aid in his left ear, before speaking.

"I wasn't trying to be a stalker, really. I was just curious, and, well..."

"You followed. We get that. Why?" Dagran cut in, eyeing him suspiciously.

The stranger hesitated, before speaking. "...My name is Dio Mahogany and I want to join your group."

Zesha chuckled a bit. "What makes you so special? Makes you...trustworthy and such?"

"Well-" Dio paused, before speaking. "I know some things about Jirall's gang that might be useful, I hope. And...I can dance. And I'm good with using laser guns and tasers. And I swear that I'm not trying to be creepy, stalker-like, or..."

Zesha looked intrigued, cutting in before Dio could finish. "Improv for me."

"What?" Dio asked, his mahogany eyes widening in surprise.

"Improv." Zesha repeated, smirking. "If you can dance, you might actually prove to be of use to this group. I want to see what you can do, alright? One has to be undercover at the parties, to blend in with the performers and audience simultaneously. If you can't do that, you might as well beat it, Dio."

Dio hesitated, before nodding. Dagran and Yurick instinctively pushed the kitchen table and chairs aside before Lowell took out a radio, putting a CD in before pressing the play button.

'Lisa' watched Dio quietly. How would he manage...? What sort of crazy test was this, even? This was certainly odd, but it was also interesting...

Dio did nothing for a moment, but then began to move to the beat, swiftly showing off a six-step, before transitioning straight into a windmill, his legs spread quickly before he jumped back into a standing upright position, executing a moonwalk with ease...

Callista glanced at Zesha, who appeared to be smiling. Snapping his fingers, Lowell immediately turned off the music, and Dio almost collapsed completely to the floor, letting out a couple of hard breaths as Zesha spoke above him.

"Impressive, Dio. With a little more work I think you could even perform onstage. This could prove to our advantage. Do you know any other dance types besides hip-hop?"

Dio shrugged a bit as he got up with the help of Dagran. "Not much, but I can learn quickly if needed..."

"Good." Zesha smiled. "Everyone, welcome Mister Dio Mahogany, now a member of the Lazulis Rebels..."

'Lisa' glanced at Dio, who looked slightly nervous, despite him trying to hide it with a proud smile.

She just hoped that this arrangement was going to be alright...

* * *

**Author note: Part of this chapter was inspired by the song 'Get to It' by Larissa Ness. Guess which part it was! XD The part of chapter 2 inspired by Adam Lambert's 'Strut' was the part where Callista was trying to walk like a supermodel. XD Again, I don't own any of the songs mentioned in this fic or authors notes. XD **

**Also, 'Lazulis Rebels' is the name of Zesha's gang because I couldn't think of anything better... (sweatdrop)**

**Hopefully 'Fall' will be updated soon and thanks so much for the reading and reviewing this fic so far! XD **


	4. Undercover

_**4. Undercover**_

Therius felt glad that he was accepted into the group as 'Dio Mahogany.'

Thank goodness that moonwalk was decent. He wasn't sure what would have happened if he messed that up.

Apparently today, Zesha wanted to stay low, which meant that they were simply going to stay in this abandoned apartment place all day. Therius was glad about this, because this meant that he could focus on talking to the others around him. He quickly learned about what the goals of the Lazulis Rebels were-to take down the illegal drug work that was going on in Lazulis and not get arrested for it themselves.

He learned that the group had been trailing Jirall and his gang for longer than expected, even before Zesha had been disowned by Zangurak. In fact, the gang had been together for about six years in total now, starting three years before Zangurak had disowned Zesha.

But..why did Zangurak disown Zesha? Therius had to figure it out.

How was he going to figure that out? Well, he needed to get Zesha alone, and that was the difficult part.

It was by halfway through the afternoon, after Zesha had shown him some more hip-hop moves, and the two (and everyone else that was working on said hip-hop moves along with them, which was basically everyone) were absolutely sweating. Zesha wiped some sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, before speaking.

"Dio gets the shower first because he's the newbie, and then me." He told the others. "Rest of you will use rock, paper scissors for it. Whoever loses first goes last for the shower"

There came the sound of groans from the others. "Seriously?" Lowell groaned. "What if I get last place?"

"Then too bad for you, Lowell. Live with it if you must..."

Therius then realized-_this could be his chance! _He could totally get Zesha alone, right..?

...Of course, this would prove to be the most embarrassing thing he had ever done in his life, but he was willing to do it. And it was risky, but it could work...he just had to make sure to stay in character. He'd been trying to flirt with Zesha using his eyes, body language-and Lisa obviously looked jealous, but still, Zesha seemed to respond...appropriately, though not crossing any line that said that he was going to cheat on his girlfriend.

"Actually, Zesha..." 'Dio' murmured, making eye contact with him, blushing furiously. "Perhaps we could both share...?"

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Zesha..." She started in a warning tone, but Zesha gave her a kiss on the forehead, ruffling her hair with one hand.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. If I do anything out of line you have every right and any way you want to punish me. Promise."

Lisa frowned still, her face scrunching up a bit. "Swear it?" She spit on her palm and held it out to him.

Zesha went down on a knee, still smiling as he kissed it once. "Swear it." He murmured back, before standing and turning towards Dio. "What are you waiting for? Let's go get this sweat off before we start stinking like pigs..."

* * *

Therius now knew that this was a very uncomfortable situation to be in.

_Why am I sharing a shower with Zesha again...? _Therius half-wailed to himself mentally. _Note to self-try not to do something like this ever again..._

He heard Zesha smirk from behind him. His shower companion was currently using the soap, while Therius was trying to rinse himself off first. Neither of them were facing each other out of modesty, though, which was something he was absolutely grateful for. It did make him wonder if Zesha ever tried to peek at him from behind-Therius couldn't remember whether Zesha was bisexual or completely straight, though he knew too well that Zepha was definitely homosexual.

"So...why did you want to share the shower with me, Dio?" Therius heard Zesha chuckle a bit. "Did you want to get close to me that badly?"

"Er...yeah..." Therius blushed a bit at this. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked-I mean, your girlfriend's obviously-"

"I promised her. It'll be fine."

There was another moment of awkward silence, before Therius spoke up.

"Erm...mind passing the soap?"

"Sure." Therius saw Zesha's bare hand put the bar of soap on the ground by his feet. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

Another moment of awkward silence followed with more soap and water, before Zesha spoke up this time.

"So, Dio...I forgot to ask, but what sort of information do you know that could be useful?"

Therius blinked a bit, but he managed something in response.

"What type of useful information? Rumours? Specific things about specific people?"

"Anything that I'll find useful."

"Erm..."

What sort of information should he spew out first?

"I don't know if this is true, but...I heard that your brother, Zepha Stryker, is a...a drug addict."

Therius mentally cringed. Maybe that wasn't something he should have spoken of...? He definitely wasn't sure about this rumor, even, but then again Zepha's eyes _had _looked more glassy and bloodshot. He was getting a bit concerned for his friend. Surely Zesha would be concerned...

"Oh..." Zesha paused, before speaking again. "My brother...a drug addict? I just hope that isn't a rumor that will turn out to be true. I don't want that to happen to him."

'Dio' merely spoke a few words of agreement, before speaking up again. "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that..."

"No. It's good that I know. Maybe I should even pay you a visit."

"But he's-"

"On the team that wants me arrested, I know." Therius heard the other let out a sigh. "That doesn't change the fact that Zepha is my twin brother and that I still care for him, despite what others may assume. There are a lot of things that people don't know about me, you know."

"...Right. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's cool with me-I'm used to it." There was a slight hesitance in the other's tone as he spoke in response. The two went silent again, before Zesha spoke again. "Want to know why I was disowned?"

Therius' interest was piqued. "Why?"

"It's because I know that he's up to his neck in this drug dealing business, too."

The other's eyes widened at this. _Zangurak? Zangurak, the famous lawyer?_

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Zesha confirmed. "I have a boatload of evidence if you don't believe me. Jirall's just being used as a proxy, it seems, to play the part of the villain while Zangurak is pulling the strings. No wonder he disowned me-he didn't want me to find out too much about him." He then smirked. "Unfortunately, I had already found out 'too much' about him by then. Though by being disowned, it's been significantly harder to get information and evidence to prove him guilty of the crimes, even when you have two master hackers in the gang to help you out." Zesha then paused, before speaking up. "Are you a master computer hacker, by any chance?"

Therius shook his head. "Sorry, I've got no knowledge whatsoever. Me and technology don't mix well in that area."

"Shoot. So much for that...I could have had you working with Lowell and Mirania on that, but oh well..."

Therius' eyes narrowed a bit. "Then..what would I be of any use for...?"

Zesha smiled. "Spying undercover. Which gets information faster for us most of the time. Good luck."

Therius inwardly smirked at this.

_Zesha, the things you don't know..._

* * *

**Author note: For once, this is a chapter not inspired by any songs at all... and yes, Therius is acting as 'Dio Mahogany.' XD **

**I hope this chapter was alright, and apologies for the delay in updates. Thanks for your patience and reviews! XD **


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